Oral Surgeons

The American Dental Education Association (ADEA) reports that the first “dentists” practiced in the Indus Valley Civilization (modern day Pakistan and northwest India) around 7000 B.C. In ancient Greece, the physician Hippocrates and philosopher Aristotle wrote about dentistry, specifically about treating decaying teeth. The first book entirely devoted to dentistry—The Little Medicinal Book for All Kinds of Diseases and Infirmities of the Teeth, by Artzney Buchlein—was published in Germany in 1530. In 1723, a French surgeon named Pierre Fauchard (who is credited as the Father of Modern Dentistry) published The Surgeon Dentist, a Treatise on Teeth, which presented a detailed system for caring for and treating teeth. Around the same time, British surgeon John Hunter and British dentist James Spence collaborated in experiments with tooth transplants. The first dental college, the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, opened in 1840. The American Dental Association was founded in 1859 to represent the professional interests of dentists. In 1918, the American Society of Exodontists was founded to represent oral surgeons. The organization—which is now known as the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons—offers membership, continuing education, and professional networking opportunities.